Review Category: Books

REVIEW: TRAITOR’S BLADE / AUTHOR: SEBASTIEN DE CASTELL / PUBLISHER: JO FLETCHER BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: MARCH 6TH

The debut novel from Sebastien de Castell tells the story of the Greatcoats, who were once paragons of justice travelling the country upholding the King’s Law, only to be disbanded when the power-hungry Dukes rose up against their monarch. Now little more than glorified mercenaries and branded as traitors by anyone who speaks of them, Greatcoats Falcio, Kest and Brasti do what they can to maintain notions of honour in a nation quickly descending into despair and hopelessness.

Heavily inspired by The Three Musketeers, although thankfully not to the extent that the central trio are mere expies, Traitor’s Blade takes place in a fantasy world roughly analogous to the late Middle Ages augmented with a corrupt version of feudalism. Like most initial instalments of fantasy cycles, the book is structured as much to give an introduction to the dynamics of the setting as to tell an actual story. While the former is a rousing success, the same cannot be said for the latter. When the plot is deconstructed, it becomes apparent that far too much has been left to fate, for without several chance encounters much of the story simply would not have occurred. The hazily alluded to quest the three Greatcoats are embarked upon is trying to divine the locations of the King’s hidden chariots (“jewels”) that will somehow be the country’s salvation, but about which he neglected to impart any details before his death. You’ll figure out what they are long before the protagonists, making their continued cluelessness to the full significance of the situation a little frustrating.

Perhaps we’re used to a little more moral ambiguity these days, but you’d think it would be enough that the Dukes and Duchesses are merely arrogant and murderous 1%ers without also being sadistic sociopaths whose idea of fun is watching a little girl try to avoid being trampled by a rabid horse. Falcio’s insistence on acting as though the chivalrous ideals he once upheld still apply to the decaying society unequivocally mark him as the hero, but almost everyone else’s view of him as an amoral traitor seems to serve only to lazily emphasise the point by being wrong.

One thing that makes the book truly stand out is its combat sequences. De Castell’s knowledge of swordfighting is clearly extensive, with the numerous duels described as though they were dances rather than fights. Choreographic terminology is employed to better specify the intricacies of the movements, imbuing them with an elegance that sets them apart from the violent melées seen in the works of authors like Joe Abercrombie or David Gemmell. Unfortunately, his knowledge of other forms of combat seems a little lacking, as anything without swashbuckling interplay is either described in the broadest terms or takes place in a haze of berserk fury. To give an idea of the differing detail, whereas duels are lovingly detailed over several pages, the climactic free-for-all battle that effectively decides the fate of the nation’s people and defeat or victory for heroes and villains alike is begun and completed in the space of a couple of vague paragraphs. 

Overall, Traitor’s Blade is a flawed but engaging swashbuckling romp driven by elaborate swordplay and Aaron Sorkin-esque speechifying. Throughout its meandering structure there are the seeds of something great; tighter and less generic and episodic plotting, along with less focus on unforeshadowed and ultimately meaningless revelations, would have done it wonders.

Review: Libriomancer / Author: Jim C. Hines / Publisher: Del Rey / Release Date: March 6th

Jim C. Hines’ Libriomancer is an urban fantasy novel, concerned with the magic of books. It weaves a tenuous narrative that dips in and out of history and centres around the unlikely ability of libriomancy. While the idea of books as a source of literal magic, of healing and escape, is a wonderful sentiment, the message outweighs the quality of the prose, and was a sentiment better expressed in Neil Gaiman’s 2013 novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane and the beloved Inkheart trilogy.

Protagonist Isaac Vainio is not nearly as likeable as his genre contemporaries, Harry Dresden or Odd Thomas for example, but his geeky disposition and believable love of the written word is relatable, and while you might find yourself frequently at odds with his often pathetic nature, he inspires enough pathos to stick with him until the end.

The fantasy genre thrives off the odd bit of silliness, from Terry Pratchett to Tolkien (Tom Bombadil, we’re looking at you). While the novel is overly sentimental and full of more clichés than a Sherlock fan’s slash fiction, it’s not without charm and some genuine laughs. In no other fantasy story does there exist a spider quite as adorable as Smudge. This will be a much loved and well-read book in certain circles, even if that just means page turning to find your favourite novel’s name checked.

By reading Libriomancer, you’re taking part in a game of spot-the-reference, a Where’s Wally of pop culture, and identifying these homages is half the fun, ranging as they do from cherished franchises such as Doctor Who and Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels to literary heavyweights like The Colour Purple. Some of the references get close to satire but most amount to simple name-checking. What you see is what you get.

There is an excitement to the story, an enthusiasm that can’t be denied, but every plot twist and turn can be explained away with libriomancy, removing any real sense of danger or immediacy. Underneath it all, Libriomancer is a twee, feel-good novel about the magic of books and sometimes it almost works.

Review: The Copper Promise / Author: Jen Williams / Publisher: Headline / Release Date: Out Now

The publishing industry, much like any media outlet, is prone to jumping on a bandwagon filled with new trends. At the time of writing, the recent surge of interest in the already very influential Game of Thrones novels has lead to a glut of dark, gritty tomes in which everybody has a headache and where all the best characters get killed just as they get interesting. Luckily for those of us looking for something different, The Copper Promise bucks this trend by being a good old-fashioned fantasy adventure romp.

Two adventurers, a disgraced knight and a canny thief, are hired by a down-on-his-luck lord to enter the Citadel, a place that apparently holds unimaginable wealth and power but also has a firm reputation for being certain death. What the party discovers in that ancient ruin has far-reaching consequences for the world and much of the novel deals with cleaning up the mess caused by this incautious trio. It’s a clever blend of fantasy pulp, balanced world building and sharp wit. Do you remember those spin-off fantasy novels of the eighties that had huge ideas, neat concepts for characters and never quite hit the mark? The Copper Promise is much like those odd little books, but in this case it hits the reader directly in their fantasy-loving heart and drags them into a rich fantasy world.

It is rather a thick book, but then that’s exactly what we’ve come to expect from fantasy novels; the sort of paperback that could realistically be used as a doorstep or in order to stun a burglar. The Copper Promise was originally released as four separate novellas and this really is to it’s advantage – the serialised nature of the story gives the work a naturalistic flow and provides a handy stopping off point for those of us who don’t have the time to read a book in one sitting.

Jen Williams has a highly addictive storytelling style. This means that it’s very hard to stop reading and when you aren’t reading it, you’re trying to work out when you can get your next fix. This is because she writes each character in an honest and entertaining way and pulls no punches; she’s not afraid to have a main character who is utterly unlikeable or another protagonist who is a danger to all around them. Between Sir Sebastian, Lord Frith and the Copper Cat we have an adventuring party that we should find dull and irksome, but instead we love them for their flaws as much as their exploits. The Copper Promise is near-perfect fantasy adventure fun and a breath of fresh air in a genre choking on its own grittiness. Read it and remind yourself what made you fall in love with fantasy books.

Review: Innocence / Author: Dean Koontz / Publisher: HarperCollins / Release Date: Out Now

Innocence is the latest violent, intriguing and utterly compelling novel by best-selling American writer Dean Koontz. Once described as the “master of our darkest dreams”, Koontz has again created a contemporary landscape, within which are multi-layered realities.

The protagonist, the peculiarly named Addison Goodheart, is introduced as being “not like other people”. Indeed he is not. The reasons for this are only unveiled in all of their intriguing glory towards the climax of Koontz’s narrative.

In brief, Addison Goodheart is a man in his mid-twenties who is totally alone in society with no surviving family or companions. He lives hidden within the bowels of the city’s infrastructure. The landscape of Addison’s life is one of a claustrophobic hidden existence. His necessary nightly journeys above ground in search of sustenance see him risking his own mortality. From bitter and unforgiving past experiences, Addison recognises that all humans will recoil from and/or savagely attack him, such is the level of revulsion that his appearance engenders.

During one of Addison’s nightly excursions, he witnesses the attempted attack of a teenage girl. Addison’s world from that moment changes. Addison must face his greatest challenge yet… to reveal his true self to another both emotionally and physically. But will it be a case of life or death for Addison and all who consort with him?

As always with Koontz, the characters aren’t quite what they at first seem. In Addison’s case, the reader is continually challenged as to whether or not his surname ‘Goodheart’ is an apt one. Will he ultimately suffer the fate of those of his kind who have gone before him, a case of hell’s damnation or eternal bliss?

The narrative is tightly controlled right to the final page. This really is one of those rare books that’s almost impossible to put down. One of Koontz’s best!

Review: Grimm – The Chopping Block / Author: John Passarella / Publisher: Titan / Release Date: February 28th

The Grimm series of tie-in novels continues with The Chopping Block, a book different to its predecessor The Icy Touch, but no less effective. Anyone who’s seen an episode of Grimm will know what to expect, and The Chopping Block sticks to that recipe: a strange murder case for Detectives Burkhardt and Griffin, plenty of twists and turns, the revelation that Wesen are involved, help from Monroe, followed by jeopardy, conflict, and the eventual solving of the case.

It’s a formula, for sure, but one that’s tried and tested; here, it’s found to be reliable, making this book read like a darker and grittier version of what’s seen on screen. Novels allow us to get into the heads of characters, whether hero or villain, but here the author also pushes us into the mind of the victims; one scene where a man is trying to escape is utterly unnerving, as the reader feels his fear and the palpable tension that goes with it. Any writer wanting to evoke atmosphere and downright terror would do well to read this particular chapter, a superlative piece of horror writing.

It’s not a one-off, either. The quality continues throughout the book. It’s a tight, taut and tense thriller – Nick and Hank working on this case alone, rather than trying to show us as much of the Grimm universe as possible. It’s assumed that the reader knows the background of the series, meaning any explanations are short and sweet, allowing the plot to take centre stage. Yet, as in the TV series, any new characters that turn up are instantly suspect, although there is a certain fun in guessing if any of them is a red herring.

That’s a minor quibble; author John Passarella has written an exciting, dramatic and at times unsettling book, one that sticks to the format of its source material, yet uses it to craft a well-told tale that would be too dark for TV, the words playing in the mind of the reader, allowing the imagination free reign. It’s a novel that’s incredibly difficult to put down and, while not as grand in scale as the previous Grimm novel, slots nicely into the series (we’re even given a ‘historian’s note’ to tell us where), whetting the appetite for more, whether it be on page or screen.

Review: Vicious / Author: V.E. Schwab / Publisher: Titan / Release Date: Out Now

Vicious begins in Gothic mode, with the hero Victor and his young female companion digging up a grave. But why? The reader is then thrown back ten years to Lockland University in which Victor is introduced to his intellectual equal Eli. Their obsession with the fantastical elements of human nature and their brilliance leads them to begin with the experimental phase of their research… with dire consequences for Victor. We then follow Victor’s journey to catch up with Eli, who has prospered in the face of his disastrous joint venture at Lockland with Victor, and deliver payback to Eli once and for all.

The antagonism between Victor and Eli has echoes of classic rivalries such as Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty, Batman and the Joker, nemeses who not only match one another in intellect but also in strength. This makes their moves like those in a chess game, they advance slowly towards one another but with such intent that you beg to know what happens next. Meanwhile, Vicious also blends together successfully the real and the hyper-real. Just as in popular series such as Heroes, you see characters dealing with their supernatural abilities in real life circumstances.

However, Vicious invests so much in Victor and Eli that you pay little attention to the other characters in the book. This is a great shame because some of the female supporting characters in particular could have done with more development. In addition, the narrative flips a tad too much to the point that the reader can lose track of where they are.

Overall though, Vicious explores two wonderful characters who take the classic hero-villain roles to very blurred heights.

Review: The Barrow / Author: Mark Smylie / Publisher: Pyr / Release Date: April 4th

The Barrow begins with a group of adventurers entering an underground cavern, finding a giant idol, and stealing the huge gems that are its eyes. Anyone familiar with 1980s Dungeons & Dragons may see similarities to the cover of the Player’s Handbook from that period. This one’s a little different, however, in that a huge spiked phallus extends from it, upon which sacrifices are impaled. When trouble arrives, it’s a free-for-all amongst the characters as they scramble over each other in their efforts to escape. Thus the tone is set for author Mark Smylie’s debut novel, centred in the world of his Artesia comics and role-playing game.

On one hand it’s a cracking story, populated with interesting (although not all entirely likeable) characters who give the plot enough twists and turns to surprise even the most cynical of readers who think they’ve seen it all. It’s well-written, with a final act that grips and refuses to let go until the last page is turned. Getting there, however, can be hard work. The band of adventurers are comprised of the various shades of grey readers of Grimdark fantasy have come to expect, but here such qualities are turned up to eleven, taking many of them into the realm of cliché, as if the author has tried too hard – not to imitate, but to outdo.

The book is described as erotic and sensual, but such scenes often go too far, as if the intention is to shock rather than titillate. The author’s background in role-playing games shows, in that we’re given too much detail, too many times; on one occasion, there’s a half page internal monologue on dozens of other treasures that the party could have gone for, while conversations can be little more than history or geography lessons. Good to know, but certainly not vital to the plot; a shame, as beneath all this there lurks a fresh and original fantasy story set in a unique and fascinating world.

Review: The Boy with the Porcelain Blade / Author: Den Patrick / Publisher: Gollancz / Release Date: March 20th

Fantasy novels tend to be pitched in terms of other authors as a way of enticing potential readers in with a touch of familiarity and an unwritten claim of quality. The promotional material for The Boy with the Porcelain Blade name checks the likes of Mervyn Peake, Robin Hobb, Jon Courtenay Grimwood and Patrick Rothfuss. Though there are echoes of each of these great authors in the structure of this work, this debut novel by Den Patrick is not an imitation in any shape or form, rather a solid and brilliant book with a unique and engaging voice.

The novel is set in the kingdom of Landfall, a sprawling city-state that resembles a pseudo-Renaissance Italy, composed of various houses who are all attempting to gain power whilst an insane king stays in his tower issuing shadowy demands via his Majordomo. Patrick paints an oppressive and strange world, filled with many an unseen mystery. The tale focuses on the plight of Lucien de Fontein, a young man whose lack of ears marks him out as an orfano, one of the strangely formed foundlings who tend to possess great talents to compensate for their physical mutations. The narrative flips backwards and forwards through Lucien’s life; half the book gives us an idea what Lucien’s childhood has been like so far and the other half explores the boy’s current troubles, which include impossible tests, exile and a mystery that runs through the core of the kingdom.

The main character is gloriously unlikeable. He’s sarcastic, vain and self-obsessed. This makes him very believable and the perfect protagonist for Patrick’s multi-layered story telling style. Den Patrick is an extremely talented author, creating a detailed and complex world that is effortless to read. A true page turner, The Boy with the Porcelain Blade is the first in a promised series called the Erebus Sequence, and it will be very interesting to see what happens next in the fascinating kingdom of Landfall.

Review: Further Encounters of Sherlock Holmes / Author: George Mann / Publisher: Titan / Release Date: February 28th

Further Encounters manages the rather remarkable feat of not containing an uninteresting story within its pages. This in part comes from the talent that editor George Mann has pulled together to do the job. Holmes veterans Andrew Lane, Guy Adams et al are sterling choices to give us more glimpses into the life of London’s greatest sleuth.

Our personal favourites (and understand that it is hard to single any story out) are The Adventure of the Professor’s Bequest and The Case of the Devil’s Door, written by Philip Purser-Hallard and James Goss respectively. The former tale is an interesting look into the life of the Moriarty family and serves as a reminder that even the most evil of us often have loved ones just the same. Unfortunately, the outcome of the latter will be instantly evident to anybody who has watched the most recent series of Sherlock. However, for those who haven’t, the solution is rather ingenious and will surprise them.

We will concede that sometimes the characterisation of Holmes can feel a little off (Watson is pretty universally well portrayed though) and one of the stories is downright mad (although this is not an isolated incident as a few more toe the line between rationality and the supernatural); a very jarring shift in tone for what is otherwise a down-to-earth book.

Based on the overall calibre of the stories, we’re giving this the same rating we gave the first book. Mann has done some excellent work here and we hope that there will be many more encounters to come.

Review: ZOM-B Gladiator / Author: Darren Shan / Publisher: Simon & Schuster / Release Date: Out Now

Pretty much everything you need to know about Zom-B Gladiator is in the name, which conjures up images of fighting your own kind while depraved individuals watch and bay for blood. B faces this situation in this, the midpoint of the ZOM-B series. It’s just a shame that it takes half the book to get there.

Fortunately, one thing that makes this easier to deal with is that B is starting to become likeable and it’s about bloody time. Especially when one considers that likeable characters are in short supply in this volume; it’s difficult to root for The Board but only because they feel like caricatures for the reader to get angry at. Scads of money? Check. Child murderer? Check.

Of course, telegraphed plot twists (which always make it hard to invest anything in the ongoing story) mean that it comes as no surprise to the reader that at least one of them escapes. We’re sure that they will menace B in some capacity in a future book.

The bottom line is that if you’re outside of the book’s target audience, you are a lot more likely to notice the cracks in the storytelling. We’re sure that 9-12s will love the superficial aspects such as the zombie killings and the mayhem, but anyone older than that won’t really take a lot away from the book. It’s telling that when each new book arrives in the Starburst mailbox, we’ve forgotten everything that came before even though there’s only about three months between books. Shouldn’t a book, no matter what its target audience is, leave some kind of impact?